An application has been submitted and all the proposed Revelstoke Tech Fabrication Lab needs is council approval to be considered for a $108,000 grant.
City councillors will look at this plan, headed by the city’s Director of Community Development Nicole Fricot, at the upcoming city council meeting on Tuesday Jan 23.
The Tech Lab application is requesting funding from the B.C. Rural Fund. If successful, this amount will fund 60% of eligible costs for the project. The total budget for phase I of the project is $180,000.
Fabrication labs are sometimes known as maker spaces. They contain 3D printers, 3D Scanners, CNC milling equipment, laser cutters and more.
The idea for a fabrication lab in Revelstoke came through discussions with the local entrepreneurial community around what they required to innovate. The conversations made it clear that innovation infrastructure was missing.
A fabrication lab has technology available for commercial users with the ability to also service community users.
In Fricot’s report, she notes they plan to have one full time coordinator to run training and workshops. Indirectly, they expect job creation long-term of about 50 to 75 new jobs over the next five years, mostly self-employed.
“At the heart of this project is the goal of providing local companies and entrepreneurs with access to digital technologies and tools,” the Tech Laboratory project proposal states.
“The Revelstoke Fabrication Laboratory will offer companies, entrepreneurs and individuals access to digital fabrication equipment with the goal of providing increased opportunities for rapid prototyping and concept design.
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